Thanos Thanos:
Given how much control of agricultural commodities have been taken over by the financial sector there's no reason to believe that a voluntary co-operative would be allowed to have any input at all on pricing.
The Wheat Board did have a very good reputation for quality and punctuality worldwide and could get farmers a small price premium because of that.
But the real benefit to farmers was the boards ability to cut shipping costs from the middle of the land locked prairies to port. Most of the wheat grown in Canada is for export. That's a lot of grain to organize and move.
The other advantage is there is no middle man turning a profit. Every cent minus operating cost used to return to farmers in equalization payments at year's end. Now private brokers all take their cut from the prairies to either coast (because Churchill is now shut down).
Farmers have been paying fees for ships left waiting in port for late grain shipments ever since the board was shut down. That is if they've even managed to get their grain out of the bins and into a rail car.
Single desk the way it was run in Canada for decades does not work if the system is voluntary. You can't set a min guaranteed price because producers will just go to the nearest open market price which at that time will always be higher. This was tried back when the wheat board was first implemented.
Farmers rallied to maintain the single desk system after the war was over.
Farmers rallied to switch the board to farmer - elected representatives.
Farmers voted time after time for the single desk system.
Stephen Harper unilaterally destroyed the board after saying during campaigns that he wouldn't without a farmer plebiscite.
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